Gunja (Abrus precatorius): The Beautiful Poison

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  Gunja (Abrus precatorius): The Beautiful Poison – An Ayurvedic and Modern Perspective

Category: Agadtantra (Toxicology)

Bams 2 nd year

Gunja

In the world of Agadtantra (Ayurvedic Toxicology), few plants are as visually striking and paradoxically dangerous as Gunja. With its vibrant red seeds tipped with black, it resembles a jewel, leading to its use in beads and ornaments. However,  this is beautiful exterior lies a potent poison known as Sthavar Visha

Today, we dive deep into the properties, toxicity, and medicinal transformation of Gunja, based on classical Ayurvedic and modern prospective 

Introduction

  • Latin name: Abrus precatorius .
  • English - Rosary pea, indian liquorice root.
  • Sanskrit - Raktika, kaakananti,tamrika.
  • Family - Leguminaceae
  • Utpattisthana - Everywhere in india

 External Features

External Features gunja

Characterized by Shrub like climbers with many branches.

Leaves - Like tamarind tree, (2-3 inches long)

flowers - Small yellowish green

Odour - Odourless

Rasa Panchak (Ayurvedic Pharmacology)

  • Rasa - Tikta, kashaya
  • Guna- Laghu, ruksha, tikshna
  • virya - Ushna
  • Vipak - Katu
  • Dosh karma - kapha vata shamak, pitta vardhak

Modern Pharmacology

  • Abortifacient
  • uterine stimulant
  • Teratogenic
  • Toxic

Classification

  • Ayurvedic:
  1. upavisha
  2. moola visha
  3. sthavar visha
  • Modern: Irritant vegetable poison

active principal:

  1. abrine
  2. abralin
  3. heamoglutinin

Poisonous part:

  • Poisonous part is mainly "seeds of gunja"

Fatal dose

  • Seed -1-2 crushed seeds
  • Abrin-90-120mg
  • Fatal period  -- 24-72 hrs

Sign and symptoms

Sign and symptoms gunja

Oral Ingestion: If consumed by mouth, it causes a severe burning sensation in the stomach, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, diarrhea, heart failure, convulsions, and ultimately leads to death.

Similarity to Snake Bite: The symptoms are similar to those of a snake bite.

Local Application: If applied topically (to the skin), it causes painful swelling.

Gunja Needles (Suichika): If a needle prepared from Gunja is used on someone, it causes local inflammation followed by necrosis (tissue death).

Modern treatment

  • Remove the Gunja needle fit has been used. Administer Anti-Abrin.
  • Symptomatic treatment.
  • Purgatives.
  • Gastric levage.

Ayurvedic Treatment

Give cow's milk with sugar.

Mix fresh Amaranth juice with rock sugar and give it with milk.

Give fresh juice of sour fruits like tamarind, kokum, and grapes to drink.

Medicolegal Aspect

  1. Used in animal killing
  2. Accidental poisoning
  3. Homicide
  4. Arrow poison

Postmortem appearance

  1. Hemorrhagic spots (petechiae) beneath the serosal covering of internal organs.
  2. Contraction of internal organs.
  3. Local ulceration, oedema at the site of the wound with remnants of Gunja needle.
  4. Cerebral oedema.

Shodhan

Purification:

Impure Gunja seeds are crushed in powder and pottalis are prepared, which is then subjected to swedana in Dola Yantra, with cows milk for about 6 hours. This way Gunja seeds get purified.

Uses after purification

  • Hair growth, skin disorder

Formulations

  1. Mritasanjivani Gutika
  2. Gunjabhadra Rasa





Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. Gunja is a poison in Ayurveda and should never be consumed or used without strict medical supervision and proper processing.

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